South African police are investigating the deaths of seven women found at different locations east of Johannesburg over the past two months. The latest discovery, a woman’s body in Kwa-Thema township on Tuesday, expanded an investigation that already included six other deaths.
The cases have raised concern that one person or a group may be responsible. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said investigators had not confirmed that the deaths were connected to a serial killer, but said similarities were serious enough to prompt a public warning and intensified inquiries.
Several victims were found naked or partially clothed, and some showed signs of sexual violence, according to police. The bodies were discovered across the Ekurhuleni municipality, including near Tembisa township and behind a hotel. Police said one woman, aged 38, disappeared after leaving her eight-year-old daughter at home to go jogging before her partially clothed body was found on September 12.
The first victim identified in the investigation was a 37-year-old woman found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. Police said a suspect was arrested two days later. A 32-year-old woman was found partially clothed on August 24, while another body discovered in a river near Tembisa on September 7 has since been added to the wider investigation.
The South African Police Service has urged women to take extra care when jogging or doing similar activities in the area. Mathe said police were examining whether the deaths involved “one perpetrator or a group of men,” without providing further details about the suspect or the investigations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered police to prioritize the cases, saying they were causing “fear and uncertainty” and promising that “no stone will be left unturned.” The deaths have occurred amid continuing public concern about violent crime and longstanding violence against women in South Africa, according to the supplied report.